Cold Outside
by ArmedWithAPen
Summary: "Wow, what a storm!" Jack Frost took the thermos of hot chocolate from the table and helpfully topped off the Tooth Fairy's mug, matching her stunned stare without once batting a sparkling blue eye. "Looks like you won't be going anywhere for a while, princess. Marshmallows?" Shameless Jack/Tooth; Frostbite; Fairyfrost; Rainbow Snowcone
1. Chapter 1: Eyes Like Starlight

_A/N: Why, yes, that is awesome cover art. Done by a dear friend of mine: ScriptorSapiens on DeviantArt. For my birthday, by the way. Check him out! Own nothing! :) _**  
**

**Chapter One: Eyes Like Starlight**

_The neighbors might think… (Baby, it's bad out there.)  
Say! What's in this drink? (No cabs to be had out there.)  
I wish I knew how (Your eyes are like starlight now.)  
To break the spell. (I'll take your hat. Your hair looks swell.)_

_- "Baby, It's Cold Outside" Frank Loesser_

"Jack."

Just a name. A short, one syllable, unremarkable scrap of a name that stood for a more elaborate designation. James. John. Each small, simple in their own rights, and yet somehow bearing a more elegant ring than a humble 'Jack.'

"Jack, can you hear me?"

Never before had he thought of his name as something extraordinary, noteworthy, even remotely pleasant to hear. It was cacophonous in its entirety, a sharp 'j' in the beginning and a harsh 'ck' at the end. It matched him perfectly, reflected his mischievous nature. It wasn't beautiful, poetic, praiseworthy or precious. It was biting. Quick. Like a cold gust of wind on a frosty January morning.

"_Ja-aaack…" _

And yet, in her musical voice, he could've sworn up and down he'd never heard a lovelier sound. Not even in the tinkling of ice-covered branches stirred by a chilly breeze. The scraping of a skate across a frozen pond. The gentle taps of tiny snowflakes pattering against a frost-covered window.

Nothing was more beautiful than his name on her tongue.

"Jackson Overland Frost, you had better not be ignoring me."

He hid a grin against his shoulder, and batted away an elf attempting to help itself to the hot chocolate he was preparing. "Hmm? What? Did you say something, Tooth?"

"Don't you play innocent with me, Jack Frost, I can see right through you."

Wearing the lopsided grin he knew she secretly loved, he left North's small private kitchen and entered the adjoining living room, ringed with four wooden doorways connecting to the Guardian's private quarters. On several occasions in the past, the Man in the Moon's visits had called for longer than a half-hour meeting, and on those instances the Guardians had found it tiresome to return late at night to their own individual dwellings, sleep very little if at all, only to wake extremely early the next morning in order to make the journey back to the Pole. Thus, North had deemed it necessary to add a new special wing to the palace containing all the necessary sleeping, bathing, and cooking facilities required by each individual Guardian, complete with themed rooms and connected by a common living area, the centerpiece of which was an enormous, roaring fireplace surrounded by plush armchairs and an extensive sofa.

It was upon this sofa that the Guardian of Memories presently sat, her wings folded sedately at her back, her small pink hands gathered in her lap, and her fuchsia eyes glimmering at him like a pair of amethysts beneath her crown of iridescent feathers. Her plumage scattered the firelight in rainbow flecks across the room and over his gnarled, crooked staff resting on the arm of the sofa beside her, and the sight was so breathtaking that Jack momentarily lost his ability to move. Clutching a mug of hot chocolate in each fist, he froze solid in the doorway, stopped breathing, and briefly forgot his own name. He couldn't tell if he was trying to do something poetic like appreciate the moment, or if he was simply trying to gather his wits, scattered like the firelight across Tooth's feathers.

You see, ever since the Battle of Belief, maybe half a year or so ago by now, Jack had steadily grown aware of the fact that the Tooth Fairy had quite comfortably built a home in the back of his mind, and had simply refused to leave. Before he'd met her, he'd always heard tales of how beautiful she was. He'd seen glimpses of her mini-fairies flitting about children's bedrooms on wintry nights when he'd watched, unseen, from a nearby lamppost or tree limb, between Sandman's golden ribbons of dreams. The little Guardians shimmered like tiny emeralds as they collected teeth and rewarded with coins before streaking away into the night. Curious one evening, he'd tried to follow. He tailed a fairy south, across the ocean from a sleepy Seattle suburb, further and further towards the equator to the misty mountains on the coast of Asia, thick with steamy rainforests and the sounds of exotic birds, until the heat had forced him to retreat. It was the height of summer, and the forest was blazing. Calling the wind, he'd whisked himself back to the frosty safety of the upper atmosphere, but not before catching one last glimpse of the mini-fairy's green back vanishing like a bejeweled pinprick up the side of the tallest mountain in sight, the peak hidden by mist. Thus had the mystery of seeing the Tooth Fairy vanished for Jack Frost. It was simply physically impossible for him to reach her. Even the tiniest amount of heat could spell disaster for a winter spirit.

Following that instance, every chance to be officially staggered by the legendary beauty of Toothiana, Queen of the Fairies, had been taken from him by the whirlwind of what would become known as the Battle of Belief. He'd been overwhelmed when thrust, headfirst and bewildered, into the Workshop by North's yetis, and taken aback by Tooth's insistent first dental checkup. Her mini-fairies' infatuation with him was amusing and flattering, but before he could ponder more on what that might mean in regards to their mistress, there had come the attack on the Tooth Palace. Never in his 300-year-long play session with winter and the children had he ever felt recognizable sympathy for anyone. But there, when she sank to the ground, the power draining her wings to a standstill, her fairies captured, and her palace crumbling where it stood, something moved inside Jack that he'd never felt before. He wanted to help her. For the sake of helping her. Even before the offer of the teeth, of his memories.

Sandman's death. He remembered watching from a distance, horrified, as Pitch's nightmares closed in on the Guardian whose golden dolphins, soccer-players, and unicorns had helped him through so many lonely nights in a world where nobody could see him, where nobody seemed to care. Secretly, he thought of Sandy as his oldest friend, his only friend. He remembered nothing but red after that, red and black and flying at Pitch with the intent to destroy him and his army with one wave of his crooked staff—

An explosion of black sand and snow, falling, and then arms. Warm, soft, loving arms that tickled his cheek as they carried him to safety, to North's sleigh…

And then the memories. Pitch's labyrinth. Easter…that had been awful. Her eyes wide, glistening, her fingers on her mouth as she whispered, _"Oh, Jack. What have you done?..."_

That hurt more than anything he'd ever felt before. Most likely more than anything he'd ever feel again. Not even Bunny's words, harsh and unforgiving and broken, had pierced him more than her eyes, driving a hot poker through the very center of his chest.

Ultimately, it's why he'd given up his staff. His power. It's why he'd saved Baby Tooth, even though he knew in the deepest part of his soul that he'd just doomed himself and perhaps every child in the world to a future without Guardians. Because the little fairy meant so much to Tooth, because she was a _part _of Tooth, and some previously untouched bit of his frozen heart grasped desperately at the last bit of Tooth that he'd probably ever see.

And then, after the battle, after the Guardians won, after Pitch was chased back into his hole beneath the bed by his own nightmares and fear, when she'd _hugged _him…!

Physical touch was something Jack had rarely experienced in all 300 years of his lonely existence. He was used to being walked through, ignored, bypassed like so much wind through bare tree branches. The touches he must have felt as a human boy had vanished with his memories, and even now were spotty and scattered like reflections in a broken mirror. But then, high on victory after Pitch's defeat and feeling _believed in _for the first time in his life, on top of that…!

He was vaguely aware of the buzzing sound darting towards him, a happy giggle, being scooped up into a pair of arms, spun like a top, and overwhelmed by the scent of flowers and rain and soft feathers. And then she pulled away, grinning, blinded him with her smile, and then had the audacity to look surprised when he could do nothing but gaze goofily back in return, feeling his heart gallop in his chest like the North Wind on the mountains at night, and wondering vaguely if she could feel it, too…

That hug was probably the first moment Jack Frost had fully appreciated the Tooth Fairy's beauty. Life had never been the same since.

"Jack? Are you alright? You look…bluer than usual."

Pulled back to the present, Jack quickly shook himself, and resisted the urge to snort contemptuously. He was the Guardian of Fun. He was lighthearted and mischievous. He would _not _be conquered by whatever these feelings were, rising slowly and steadily inside like a cup filling with hot cider. He simply refused. He had befriended the North Wind, mastered the art of snowball fights, and considered himself the guru of sledding and skating. He would wrestle this into submission, too. He promised himself.

Wearing that same lopsided grin, he padded to the sofa, and offered one steaming mug. "'Course I'm alright, princess. I'm Jack Frost. Cocoa?"

Had he been wearing any socks, her answering smile would have knocked them clean off. And he most _definitely _didn't tremble when their fingers brushed as she accepted the drink. He plopped down on the sofa next to her quickly, grinning insanely, and promptly choked when he gulped his hot chocolate a little _too _soon. Tooth's tittering giggle made the internal burns instantly worth it.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

_A/N: Ringing in the new year with some Frostbite/Rainbow Snowcone/Fairyfrost HECK YES! Which I have become obsessed with. Instead of finishing my Star Wars multichaps. Heheh...*shot*_


	2. Chapter 2: Never Such A Blizzard

_A/N: I think my favorite part of posting fics is the number of hits vs. reviews. It assures me that more than seven people read this. XD Enjoy! _**  
**

**Chapter Two: Never Such A Blizzard**

_My sister will be suspicious. (Gosh, your lips look delicious…)  
My brother will be there at the door. (Like waves upon a tropical shore…)  
My maiden aunt's mind is vicious. (Oh, your lips look delicious!)  
Well, maybe just a cigarette more… (Never such a blizzard before.)_

_- "Baby, It's Cold Outside" Frank Loesser_

The night couldn't be long enough.

Jack's hot chocolate proved to be the most perfect drink Tooth had ever tasted, as she eagerly reminded him with every sip, even if she'd have to brush for twenty minutes after indulging in such a sugary treat. He smiled at her compliments, laughed them off with a bashful grin, and pretended his ears weren't such a curious temperature, all warm and tingly like walking into a house after a morning in the snow. But he couldn't deny the swelling pride in his chest when she timidly asked for a second cup, her eyes a low crystalline color, and he inwardly promised he'd make her all the hot chocolate she wanted forever if _that _was the look she was going to give him…

Conversation was easy and light, and gradually Jack's (dare he say it) nerves calmed. Tooth was perfectly capable of carrying on a conversation by herself, fluidly sliding from one topic to the next, and Jack found that after all his centuries of solitude, the sound of a voice speaking for _him _and only _him _warmed him to the core. He could do nothing but stare, smile in what was undoubtedly a stupid grin, rest his chin in a hand propped against the back of North's sofa, and watch her talk.

They talked about the meeting earlier that evening, where the Man in the Moon had called to the Guardians' attention multiple candidates as potential additions to the team. Jack o' the Lantern, the spirit of Halloween, was discussed in particular, owing to the slightly frightening spirits' courageous—if mischievous—nature. After much deliberation that had led well into dinner time, a fact brought up by an irritated North, it was agreed that the Guardians would adjourn for the day and resume conference tomorrow when a final decision would be made. Sandy vanished in a puff of sand after eating, undoubtedly to spread dreams across the western hemisphere. Bunnymund disappeared to the Warren to make some last-minute arrangements, and Tooth provided her fairies with enough orders to last them through the night and the next day, promising she'd return to handle matters no later than tomorrow afternoon. Jack fervently hoped they'd be finished by then. Being cooped up in North's workshop for almost two days now had been more exhausting than flying the globe had ever been. He felt caged. Trapped. He wondered how the other Guardians stood it. He wondered if it'd always be this way.

He lost himself in thought for a while, only vaguely listening to Tooth happily chatter on about the bicuspids and incisors her fairies would collect tonight, how wonderful it felt to be back in the field, how thankful she was that he'd reminded her how great it made her feel, and _goodness! This hot chocolate was delicious, and—_

"I've lost you again, haven't I?"

He jumped, knocked his staff over, and lunged to catch it before it clattered noisily to the ground. Bunny had returned long ago from the Warren and tucked himself away in one of the adjoining bedrooms, and as Jack had learned soon after becoming a Guardian of Childhood, a six-foot-one Australian Pooka was extremely temperamental when woken from his beauty sleep.

"Hmm? What? I'm sorry, Tooth, I'm listening. Honest."

But he wasn't really. He absently scratched at a knot in his staff, his hot chocolate long forgotten on the butler's table next to the sofa, and he stared into the fire. Even from this far away, the heat was scorching.

"No, you're not," she said, placing her own mug next to his. "But that's okay. I, uh…have a tendency to talk a little too much." She chuckled. "Any time you want to, you tell me to shut up, okay? Especially about teeth. Sorry."

"No! Tooth, no, I—I like listening to you, I do! It's—" He froze. He'd made the grievous mistake of looking into her eyes while protesting, and the sight of them sparkling and beaming almost melted him like a snowball in the sun. He flushed, and quickly retreated his gaze to the safer realm of the carpet. "Ahem. It's n-n-nice, y'know, it's…yeah. Nice."

He could've sunk into the couch cushions. '_Nice.' 'NICE!' How lame is 'nice'?! _

"Oh. Well, thank you. I like having someone to talk to. It's…nice, too."

He didn't have to look to hear the smile in her voice. She was teasing him. Another flush raced across his cheeks, and he resisted the overwhelming urge to pull his hood up to hide it.

"But something's bothering you, Jack." She folded her legs beneath her, rested an arm on the back of the sofa, and touched his shoulder. "Would you like to tell me what it is?"

_Yes. Please, stop touching me. Your fingers are shooting lightning through my bones. _

He swallowed, crouched over his thighs and propped his upper body on the staff. Maybe it was just the…_girl_-ness of her, but Tooth seemed to have an uncanny ability to read the emotions in others better than they could read themselves. She was so bubbly, careful, giddy all the time that sometimes it took Jack by surprise the way she saw right through them, all of them. North, Bunny, Sandy, _him. _Maybe it had something to do with the memories. He remembered her saying one day that she was "older than the mountains, but younger than the wind," joking with Lady Liberty during one of their meetings, but her eyes had twinged with a certain kind of sadness most unbecoming to her usually beaming face, and Jack was suddenly aware that she knew everyone in the world perhaps better than they knew themselves. She was the Guardian of Memory. She cared for the bits and pieces of life that mattered, that shaped a person, and had done so from what Jack could imagine was the beginning of time. Maybe somewhere in that Palace in southeastern Asia was a canister with even North's baby teeth in it. Bunnymund's. Sandy's? The thought made his head spin.

He raised his eyes to hers, and she gave him another one of her undeniably warm smiles, the kind that twitched her lips up a bit at the corners, ruffled the single golden feather on her forehead, and tugged a smile from the deepest corner of his heart whether he wanted to or not.

If he had to spill his darkest thoughts to anyone, he would have to name Tooth his number one choice.

"Does it get any…better, Tooth?"

She frowned. "Better? What do you mean, Jack?"

He sighed, turned his head from the fireplace, and lifted his gaze to the window. It was a clear night in the North Pole. Stars winked back at him from their black blanket, and a gentle wind stirred a few snowflakes against the glass.

"The…responsibility," he whispered. "The deadlines. All that stuff I made fun of you guys for before. All the meetings, the work, the hassle."

The cushions rustled a little as she sank further into the couch. Jack spoke over them. "Sometimes I feel like…like what North said. We spend all our time protecting children, and we forget how to spend time with children. Sometimes I feel…trapped."

She said nothing, and suddenly he wished he could swallow the words back again. He probably sounded whiny. Pathetic. Afraid of commitment or petulant or something appropriately teenager-ish. A rebel without a cause.

He snorted, spinning his half-empty mug on the butler's table. "Yeah. Stupid, right?"

"No. Never stupid."

Her voice was incredibly soft, soft enough that the noise physically brushed the sides of his ears like feathers, and that annoying warmth was back. He froze.

"Jack, I…I once felt the way you did, long ago. I was lost, alone, and trapped. I have forgotten many things in my life, but I will never forget that feeling."

He turned, transfixed, on the couch, feeling the arm that held his staff grow limp and useless. What little connection between his brain and his fingertips still existed was being completely used in just remembering how to keep hold of the wood. Tooth's legs were curled beneath her, her hands in her lap, the fingers twisting into intricate patterns and her eyes never leaving them, and Jack found himself helpless to look away. Suddenly, in the span of two seconds, Tooth's physical exterior of a young woman, barely more than a girl his age, had transformed into something infinitely older, wiser, and sadder than anything he'd ever seen before. Her shoulders were slumped, her wings were limp, even the feathers had flattened against her skin. She looked sad, beautiful, ancient, and for the first time in his life, he realized that the shimmering, shining, giddy Tooth Fairy was holding onto a life story that would undoubtedly break his heart.

But it was only for an instant. Not a moment later, her face turned up, wearing its customary blinding smile that made him glad he was sitting or else he would have crumpled, and she replaced a hand on his shoulder.

"It does get better, Jack. Soon you'll find ways to balance your work and play. The rest of us have." She winked. "Besides, you're a Guardian. If you can face Pitch Black and an army of Nightmares, rest assured you can handle a few days of boring meetings at the Pole."

Years later, he would firmly blame that wink for everything that followed. That wink, that night, that one moment of Toothiana's vulnerability and kindness, fully shattered a heart that had remained solidly frozen for almost 300 years, and everything flooded out in a pair of stunned eyes and a lopsided smile that Jack had never worn with such sincerity before. All he could do was sit and stare as she spared him one last grin, hovered from the couch, and stretched.

"Anyways, you little cold snap, what time is it? I forgot to tell Baby Tooth about a hockey match in Manitoba that needs to be checked out, and I'd like to make it back before…"

Mid-stretch, she caught a glimpse of a small golden clock over the mantel, and, reading the time, her eyes widened.

"_OhmygoodnessJackdoyouhaveany ideawhattimeitis?NorthandBunnyaregoingtokillu s,nottomentionthatIhavefairies tolookafterwhatwasIthinkingl ettingthemtrytorunbusinessby themselvesIhavetogetbacktoth epalacethismome—" _

Panicking, she zipped to the window, fully intending to lose no more precious flying time. But just as the tips of her fingers grazed the latches, there came a terrific howling outside, and all of a sudden a blizzard of snowflakes viciously pounded the glass. Tooth dropped to the carpet, stunned, stumbling backward as though the storm had physically pushed her.

"B-But…I don't understand," she stammered breathlessly. "I-It-It was so clear just a moment ago, I saw…"

She trailed off, realization dawning on her like sunrise. Slowly, she turned on the spot to find a certain white-haired hellion sprawled quite comfortably across the sofa cushions, bare feet propped up on the ottoman in front of him, and wearing the most deliciously mischievous smirk. His staff lay suspiciously close to his side.

"Wow, what a storm!" Jack Frost took the thermos of hot chocolate from the table and helpfully topped off the Tooth Fairy's mug, matching her stunned stare without once batting a sparkling blue eye. "Looks like you won't be going anywhere for a while, princess. Marshmallows?"

* * *

_A/N: I'd like to take a moment to thank my Guest reviewers! I wish you had accounts so I could reply to your lovely words. Thank you so much! :) _


	3. Chapter 3: Ah, But It's Cold Outside

_A/N: Wow. You guys are wonderful! :) Sadly, I must call this the final chapter of "Cold Outside." I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it! Cheers! _

* * *

**Chapter Three: Cold Outside**

_There's bound to be talk tomorrow. (Think of my lifelong sorrow)  
At least there will be plenty implied. (If you caught pneumonia and died.)  
I really can't stay…  
Ah! But it's cold outside._

_- "Baby, It's Cold Outside" Frank Loesser_

"Jack."

"It's really blowing, isn't it? Tooth, if I was you, I definitely wouldn't go out in that tonight. You'll freeze."

"Jack."

"We should put another log on the fire. It's chilly in here."

"Jack."

"And maybe I can convince an elf to make us more hot chocolate. On second thought, maybe not. I don't even want to know how they'd mess it up—"

"_Jack!" _

He looked at her innocently, his eyes wide, childlike, and sparkling in a way that made her knees go weak. She hovered an inch or two above the carpet, crossing her arms over her feathered chest, and tried to look as stern as possible. Quite a feat, she found. She couldn't tell if the slight squint she put in her eyes, the small wrinkle at the bridge of her nose, and the narrow tilt of her brow made her look angry or just in pain. All Jack Frost looked was amused.

"Yes?"

She buzzed closer, close enough to admire the little tuft of out-of-place hair on his head, close enough to feel the constant chill that seemed to fill the air around him, and involuntarily she shivered. _From cold, _she told herself. _From cold. Remember, stern. Firm. Your fairies need you. _

Besides, he knew very well what she wanted. She narrowed her eyes, hovering a few feet above him on the couch which she hoped lent her an intimidating atmosphere. She couldn't melt. She wouldn't melt. Not even when his mischievous, lopsided grin stretched wider at her nearness, and his eyes sparkled like fresh frost on the mountains. And those teeth, _those teeth! _

He smirked, shrugged, and cast a cursory glance at the window. "I can't stop it, you know that."

"Oh, yes, you can, Jack Frost, you're the spirit of winter for goodness' sake! You control it!"

"Uh, Tooth, winter was around long before I was. I can wave my stick and bend it a little bit, but this far north?" Jack held up his long, pale hands in surrender. "The weather doesn't exactly pay attention to me up here. It kind of does what it wants to do."

A beat of silence followed in which Tooth's eyes narrowed to near slits, and she hovered inches from the tip of Jack's nose, searching for any miniscule sign, any minute twitch of his lips that indicated a prank, a joke, one of his infernal schemes. He met her gaze evenly, his head tilted slightly to the side, his dark eyebrows almost hidden beneath his bangs, but his eyes deep and shining with some kind of hidden laughter that made Tooth's hummingbird heart skip unevenly in her chest. Quickly, she pulled away, furiously fighting the blush in her cheeks. She had to hand it to him: Jack Frost was an excellent liar.

Fast as a flash, Tooth lunged and snatched hold of Jack's staff before he could even blink.

"Hey!" He scrambled after her, but she was already out of reach, perched on the mantle with the staff clutched triumphantly in her fist. She beamed at him as he stood derelict on the carpet, his eyes flashing fire and his hands tight fists by his sides. He hissed out a sigh, shaking his head, and extended a hand. "Ha ha, very funny, the Tooth Fairy triumphant, yay. C'mon, give it back."

"I don't think so," she sniffed, examining the old tree limb curiously. It was cold to the touch, hard and rigid like stone, and intricate patterns of blue ice feathered and swirled their way over the gnarled wood. Very beautiful. "Not yet, at least."

She glanced out the window. Already the wind had died considerably and the snowflakes weren't throwing themselves quite as hard against the glass. She smirked. "No control over the weather, eh, Jack?"

The boy gave what could only be described as a distinct growl and paced in front of the fireplace. "Tooth, this isn't funny. Give it back."

Nope. She refused. At least, not until she finished with it. Slowly, she stood on the fireplace, wielding the staff like a battering ram in both hands, and bellowed in her most commanding Queen-of-the-Fairies voice. "_I command you to stop!" _

She didn't quite know what she was expecting. A bright flash of light, a rush of power, something bursting from the tip of the staff and calming the storm instantaneously, anything would have been good. What she got was less overwhelming.

Nothing happened.

Except that Jack Frost gave a distinct snort that he covered with a cough, and a feeling of utter stupidity washed over the Tooth Fairy with a warm blush. The storm continued to rage outside, sleet pelting the windows like nails, and the wind howled insistently. Shaking herself, she brandished the staff once more.

"Stop."

Again, no result. Jack, apparently relieved at the turn of events, clucked his tongue and collapsed back into the couch, casually examining a fingernail. "Maybe you could try being polite?"

The infernal…! Half the time she wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh at his jokes or kill him. But, at this point, she was willing to try anything. She swallowed.

"Stop? Please?"

Nothing. The wind seemed to blow even harder, taunting her, laughing at her, and making passage home by flight impossible. Tooth began to panic. What if something went wrong? What if something happened? What if her fairies needed her and she couldn't make it home all because of a stupid blizzard and oh, how had she forgotten about that hockey match in Manitoba and how could she have thought letting Baby Tooth run things by herself was a good idea and _why couldn't she stop thinking about Jack Frost?!_

"Oh!" she cried, buzzing frantically about the room and dropping Jack's staff back to his waiting hands. "I need to get home to the fairies and make sure everything is alright! I don't know how I ever thought leaving them alone was a good idea. What am I going to do? I can't get home with a blizzard outside, North's asleep and I don't want to wake him up for a snow globe, he's so terribly cranky when he wakes up…"

She rambled on and on, overwhelmed and beginning to feel too physically ill to take any more notice of the Guardian on the sofa. If she had, she might have noticed something strange. Jack Frost's lively eyes dimmed slightly. His gaze fell to the stick in his lap, a pale finger tracing the wood thoughtfully, before his grip on the weapon tightened.

Tooth _did_ notice when her companion stood suddenly, shooting up from his sofa cushions as though he'd suddenly resolved to save the world, and strode forward to the window. She fell silent at the sight, drying the few helpless tears squeezed from the corners of the eyes, and then stared openly.

He looked beautiful. Like a statue carved from marble. His entire form seemed to flicker with the dim moonlight whipped from behind the blizzard's clouds, his gaze hard and blue as the purest iceberg, and, slowly, he raised his arms and the staff. Closing his eyes, he bowed his head, straightened his legs, and concentrated. Tooth didn't dare move. She didn't breathe.

As quickly as the storm had come, it calmed. Snowflakes stopped in the middle of their whirlwind paths, frozen as if in time, and then gently floated to the ground. The wind died, blew away over the mountains from where it had come, and the clouds cleared from the sky. The stars shone once more, lighting the fresh snow on the ground with millions of tiny diamonds, a blanket of white in the blackness, and Tooth's breath caught at the sight.

"But…But I thought you said you couldn't…" she stammered. Blinking in shock, she gazed at her fellow Guardian's face, which was sad yet sheepish as he leaned on his staff and looked back at her. His eyes were deep and bottomless, swallowing. She gulped. "D-Did you call this storm up in the first place?"

A deep blue settled in his cheeks, and his ears turned a most curious color. Blushing. _Jack Frost was blushing. _

He didn't look at her, but then again, he didn't have to. Tooth was able to read his answer in his face.

"Why?"

"C'mon, princess, do I have to say it?" Jack chuckled wryly, casting her another gaze with his beautiful crystal blue eyes, and Tooth lost the fight to stay airborne. She sank to the floor, motionless, her eyes dry from being so wide, and her feathers in all sorts of interesting positions. Jack Frost had wanted her to stay. Wanted her to stay, and had whistled up a winter to keep her there.

Honestly, she should have been furious. Irate. She should have chastised him terrifically, shouted, snarled, growled, and then flown out the window as quickly as she could, never to see him again for at least another week. Maybe then the irritating feelings would cease. Maybe then she'd be able to think straight again for the first time since meeting him, since hearing about Jack Frost and his white, pure, beautiful teeth, and finding out his soul, his heart, his smile matched perfectly. Finding out he was the kindest, sweetest boy she could remember meeting. Finding out how it felt for someone to touch her heart like he had.

She should have been furious. But all she could feel was awed. Giddy. Like someone had filled her chest with marshmallow crème and the finest hot chocolate.

He sighed, mistaking her silence for anger, and began to speak again. "Look, Tooth, I just—"

And then his words vanished. His world vanished. Everything in the entire universe vanished except the Tooth Fairy who he somehow managed to find in his arms, warm, beautiful, and kissing him with all the gentleness of a—

_Kissing him! _

His two last coherent thoughts before everything in his mind switched off. Too stunned to laugh, cry, gasp, _anything, _he settled for closing his eyes, tilting his head like he'd seen in a thousand drive-in movies, and cupping her beautiful, soft, warm, _wonderful _cheeks in both palms. His staff clattered to the floor. Never had he known he could feel like this, all light and floating and weightless, his heart swollen and hot and melting to his kneecaps and pounding against his ribs like a winter thunderstorm…

It was an innocent kiss, soft, gentle, light, and he couldn't have imagined a kiss from the Tooth Fairy any other way. Any other way but perfect. And it was making all sorts of feelings rush through his chest, feelings like he could sprint to the top of the mountains, soar through the sky forever, fly as fast and as far as he could for all time…!

As it was, a harsh noise against the window jerked Tooth back to Earth.

She pulled away sharply, attempting to shake the dizzying cobwebs from her mind, and jumped. A blizzard, even more vicious and violent than before raged outside, spinning sheets of snow and sleet into the wind which howled madly, wildly, uncontrollably.

Blinking, she turned back to the winter sprite who wore a delicious, dazed, goofy grin and whose arms had migrated to her waist, holding her tight and firm against his cold body, and somehow, for the first time, the chill didn't bother her. It didn't bother her in the slightest.

"But…I thought you'd—"

He didn't say anything, choosing instead to silence her with another kiss, and in answer to her unspoken question, the wind outside swirled higher and higher, and the snowflakes slapped the glass with greater insistency. She smiled against his lips and wrapped him more tightly in her arms, and the blizzard mirrored his reaction perfectly.

It could have been hours or days or months or years after when Bunnymund stumbled from his bedroom, grumbling about the storm that had awoken him, on his way to fetch a cup of warm milk from the kitchen. In his sleep-deprived state, he didn't notice the two young Guardians sitting side-by-side on the couch, foreheads resting together and noses touching like puzzle pieces finally meshing after thousands of years of separation.

"Still need to go home?" Jack Frost whispered conspiratorially, his eyes shining at her in the firelight.

She grinned. "I suppose Baby Tooth can take care of things. Besides." She cast a glance at the window where Jack's blizzard continued to roar uncontrollably outside, and, experimentally, she kissed him gently once more at the corner of his frozen mouth. An answering gust of wind shook the glass in its pane, forcing a satisfied grin from Tooth and a sheepish smile from Jack.

And quietly, between a few more scattered, feather-light kisses that left the Spirit of Winter with delicious breathing issues, the Tooth Fairy finished her sentence. "It's cold outside."

~* THE END *~

* * *

_A/N: Well, there it is! The final chapter of "Cold Outside" and my initiation into the world of Frostbite fic. Personally, I don't think there's enough of this lovely stuff out there, and I think I've become a little too obsessed with this pairing so...more stories to come? Hopefully? ^^ A GINORMOUS thank you to all my reviewers (account-users and anonymous alike), followers, and favorites. Without you, this wouldn't have been possible. I love you guys immensely! _


End file.
